Thursday, December 14, 2017

Quick Lit - December

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  And when I'm kinda, massively, planning out my reading so my total books finished for the year will end in a 5 or 0.  Obsessive, I know.  But I much prefer those numbers and so sometimes I cause myself a little bit of stress trying to hit that (although this year is shaping up to be much easier on that front, so much that I am slowing down my reading a little.).

Here's what I've finished in the last 30ish days!  As always, I'm active on Goodreads (friend me if you are too!) and linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy!

Book post this month:

And everything else I've read!


The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide by Jenna Fischer
To be clear, I have no interest in being an actor but Jenna has always been one of my favorite parts of The Office and our recent rewatch super made me want to read this.  This is very much geared towards those looking to make a living from acting but also sprinkled in are a lot of tidbits about her time on The Office.  Those parts were the most interesting to me but I also just liked learning a little more about the non-glamorous side of that career.  4 Stars

Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush
This was not a straight memoir but was mostly what the title says: stories.  It felt scattered in the beginning, with jumping between their childhood to the years their father was president, but the second half seemed to have a better flow.  Interesting stories if a little repeated at times between the two of them.  But nice to see a side of a life most of us will never live. 3.5 Stars

Sourdough by Robin Sloan
This was such a strange book.  A woman is semi-bored by her computer job and ends up getting passed a sourdough starter which she then turns into a whole business, even with teaching a robot to do some of the bread making.   The story was a little bit all over the place in a mostly enjoyable way but also slightly confusing.  I finished it a few weeks ago and still not sure what I think of it. 3 Stars

Wildflowers by Robin Jones Gunn
Finished up the Glenbrook Series this month.  I had only read this one a few times (unlike some of the earlier ones in the series that I've probably read 10 times) and so the story was almost new.  All the earlier books follow young women (mostly) looking for love.  This one follows a woman already married, with older kids even, so it was very different but probably more applicable to my current life than the dating books.  3.5 Stars

Artemis by Andy Weir
I, like most people, picked this up having read and enjoyed The Martian (book and movie, which we consumed in that order).  I'm also always on the lookout for books I think my husband will enjoy, mostly sci-fi ish.  But this wasn't The Martian and overall wasn't great.  I liked the world of living on the moon and what that might entail but also, WAY TOO MUCH of the story was hinged on good welding.  Which just isn't that interesting of a plot point. 2 Stars 

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
A very interesting look at habits and how they can shape our lives.  I liked Better than Before better but this looked at some very different aspects.  I especially liked the chapter about how Target and other stores track you.  Well, not really liked because it was also a little terrifying but I did appreciate it.  And now wondering if I should pay for everything with cash. (not really, that would make returns waaay too complicated.  Also, I never have cash.)  Worth a read.  3.5 Stars


Open Your Heart, Time Will Tell, Now Picture This, Hold on Tight, Closer Than Ever, Take My Hand by Robin Jones Gunn
I've written at length about my love of the whole Christy Miller saga but I hadn't read most of the books in 7 years.  This year I corrected that, reading the Christy Miller series over the summer and the Sierra Jensen series this fall.  I have strong nostalgia for these books; they were a HUGE influence on my teen years.  These books mostly cover Sierra's senior year of high school (which, for me, was literally half my life ago) and sometimes I just want to, nicely, shake some sense into her regarding her infatuation with Paul but overall, so enjoyable.  4 Stars

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
This was about as close to an impulse read as I get - added it to my TBR at the end of November and had read within two weeks.  I love Paris and I love Christmas so I thought this would be a nice book to read in December.  Except that it turns out it's barely about Christmas so reading it in December was not necessary (not that you can only read Christmas books in December...but it makes the most sense).  Epistolary format with letters between various characters during World War I.  It was an enjoyable and very easy read, just not what I was expecting.  3.25 Stars

Finding Father Christmas, Engaging Father Christmas, Kissing Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn
I was heavy into Robin Jones Gunn's books this month.  This is a novella series she wrote that all center around a charming English village during Christmastime.  The first two about Miranda and her quest to find the father she never met, the last about a related character who pops up to continue the story.  Perfectly cozy December reads. 4 Stars

 What have YOU been reading?  What should I be reading?

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